'I DON’T RUN FROM HIM' — PETER OBI DENIES AVOIDING ATIKU AMID 2027 RACE

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By ‘Sefiu Ajape

Former Anambra State governor and presidential aspirant under the platform of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, has pushed back against suggestions that he is avoiding former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Obi made the remarks on Friday in Cape Town, South Africa, on the sidelines of the Spier Dialogue 2026, a pan-African governance forum.

“There are very few human beings who are as close as I am to Atiku. So I can’t be running from him. This man is my very respected leader and elder brother.

“I don’t run from him. Never. It has nothing to do with running from anybody. I’ve never run from anybody. I just believe that I do things differently,” he said.

The remarks come against the backdrop of a bruising few months in their political relationship.

Both men had previously aligned under the African Democratic Congress coalition platform to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election.

Obi formally joined the coalition on January 1, 2026, with Atiku welcoming him and describing the move as a landmark moment in Nigerian political coalition-building.

The alliance, however, did not hold. On his exit, Obi said his decision to leave was not due to personal issues with Atiku or party chairman David Mark, but was driven by unresolved internal conflicts and recurring legal disputes that had distracted the platform from national issues.

He and Kwankwaso subsequently defected to the Nigeria Democratic Congress, calling for an end to litigation-driven politics.